How to Be a Responsible Car Owner

Owning a car brings many benefits to your household. First of all, you now have the luxury to travel anywhere you want without having to rely on the public transportation schedule or the disposition of your driver friends. Additionally, you no longer need to worry about your transportation, when it comes to grocery shopping. Then, there is the idea of going on a road trip with your closest circle of friends and family. Nonetheless, every car takes quite a bit of maintenance, which is something that every responsible car owner needs to be aware of. With this in mind, here are a few tips on how to become a responsible car owner.

1. Refill your oil

First things first, keep in mind that over the course of the years, some parts of your car wear off, which requires either their replacement or rotation. Nonetheless, keeping your car in a garage for years will save you a lot of these troubles, so you shouldn’t take the time as a measure but rather the mileage of your car. For example, an oil needs to be changed at least on every 5,000 miles, which is something you can easily do on your own. In this way, you save the money and get to feel manlier at the same time.

2. Change air filters

Next, you need to change your air filters at least every 12,000 miles, which is even easier. Doing this regularly reduces the emissions and saves your engine, which makes this step both eco- and budget-friendly. Here, you have a choice of going to a mechanic or changing it on your own. Well, given that a filter doesn’t cost more than $10 (on average), making this into a DIY project is definitely a more frugal option.

3. Rotating your tires

While a lot of people believe that all four tyres get the same amount of pressure and wear at the same rate, this definitely isn’t the case. Your front tyres and your back tyres are usually exposed to mildly different external conditions (unequal distribution of weight, for example). In order to prevent this, you might want to rotate your tyres every 5,000 to 10,000 miles. Seeing how there is a great discrepancy between 5,000 and 10,000 miles, one can’t help but wonder what is the determining factor here. Actually,the answer is quite simple– the quality of tyres. Going with a renowned brand, such as Goodyear tyres can make a huge difference in the frequency of their maintenance, and therefore, save you both time and money.

4. Change your spark plugs

Worn-out spark plugs can prevent your car from working properly or even from starting. In other words, what you are facing is either spending an unnecessary amount of fuel or causing a total car malfunction. Luckily, this is something you need to do every 30,000 miles or more (in some cases even 100,000). This, however, can also turn out to be a problem since it is easy to forget when was the last time you had done it.

5. Taking your car for a service

In the very end, you need to keep in mind that although some of the most basic things (like those mentioned above) can be done without any professional assistance, this isn’t always the case. You see, taking your car to a mechanic for a preventive maintenance check-up is always a smart choice and the frequency of your visits to a mechanic will depend on two things: the suggestion in the car’s manual and your household budget. In most cases, the latter turns out to be the deciding factor, but keep in mind that an unexpected car repair always turns to be a more expensive option.

Conclusion

Put simply, being a car owner means being more independent. Aside from not relying on anyone else for your transportation and shopping-related chores, there is something especially liberating in the very notion of driving. Being behind the wheel can be closely associated with the idea of being in charge of your own life, which isn’t a thought to be trifled with. However, with great power comes great responsibility and the above-listed set of regular maintenance check-ups you will have to perform is a perfect example of how to be a responsible car owner.

If you are a fan of NASCAR or simply like to know something interesting about different cars and motorcycles, you’ll find my blog interesting! I’m Kevin Young, a professional mechanic working for a NASCAR team. Keep an eye on my website not to miss the most interesting news from the world of automobiles and motorcycles!